It can truly be difficult to keep people from tracking in dirt from outside. No matter how careful everyone is (and if you have kids, that’s a challenge in and of itself) you’re going to find dirt slowly building up around your doors, and in your hampers, and on your carpet. Here’s some ways I found to keep my home a little cleaner than it was before.

I love my bike, I’ve put a lot of money into it and it’s very nice. I used to be worried about its overall safety, so I’d keep it inside. But I finally decided that this was too messy, and ended up purchasing a bike storage shed to keep it outside. Since I wanted to keep it especially safe, I got a metal shed that has a sturdy lock on the side of it. The shed is fairly inconspicuous in my yard, and even if someone tried to break into it, they’d find it harder than they expected. Now my bike doesn’t track in any dirt, and I don’t worry about its safety.

My children have a bad habit of trailing in muddy shoes and coats, and so I installed some mudroom lockers by the back door for them to keep their things in. When they come in, they hang their coats up in the locker, put their shoes in the cubby hole underneath it, and just like that, 90% of the dirt on them is contained in that area. Sure, cleaning the lockers is a bit of work, but the whole back area has a tile floor, which makes that even easier to do.

These are just two things I’ve done to keep my home cleaner, and it has made a big difference. I can clean less, and what mess there is, is kept in just a couple areas. If you have the time and money, I’d recommend either lockers or a storage shed for you, too.